Washington Men?s Basketball Team: The Huskies clinched the Pac-10 title, or at least a share of it, with a home sweep of the Arizona schools last week. In order to tie Washington for first, second-place UCLA must win their next two conference games and UW must lose their final game. However, this may prove more of a challenge than it appears. Washington faces the red-hot Cougars, and UCLA plays the weak Oregon schools.But after their wins last week, the Huskies look unstoppable at home. They began the week by beating Arizona State 73-70 in overtime. And on Saturday, they defeated Arizona 83-78 to stretch out their lead in the conference to a game and a half. The Huskies improved to 16-1 at home and 7-1 at home in the Pac-10. Their sole defeat was the triple-overtime loss to Cal, 88-85.
In all, the Huskies are nearly unbeatable at Edmunson Pavilion. In his latest Bracketology, Joe Lunardi has Washington listed as a #4 seed playing in Portland. And depending on the way the Huskies finish the season, they could end up as high as a #2 or 3 seed. But no matter their seeding, I see the Huskies making another Sweet Sixteen appearance. Grade: A+
Washington State Men?s Basketball: I can?t believe I?m saying it, but the Cougs actually might make the NCAA tournament. They have won three straight games, beating UCLA, ASU and Arizona. At a Pac-10 record of 8-9 and an overall record of 17-13, the Cougars still have a lot of work to do.
They need to win their game Saturday at Washington and then win a game or two at the Pac-10 tournament in order to be considered. If they don?t beat UW, then their only hope would be to win the Pac-10 tournament.
As a Washington fan, this Cougar team makes me nervous. They are on fire after defeating three quality opponents, and could rip us apart with their slow, deliberate pace. But at the same time, I am confident that the Dawgs will end up on top. There is no denying, however, that WSU has been playing fantastic basketball lately. Grade: A
Jack Zduriencik: The new Mariner GM has been making all the right moves for the Mariners lately. But Saturday, he made his first blunder on the job, telling Adrian Beltre he could not participate in the World Baseball Classic.I don?t resent the decision as a whole. Beltre is recovering from thumb and shoulder surgery, and the Mariners don?t want to risk him for the upcoming season, or hurt his potential trade value. From this standpoint, the call makes sense.
But what bothers me about it is that two weeks earlier, Zduriencik told Beltre that he would be able to decide for himself whether not he wanted to represent the Dominican Republic in the competition. Then he went against his word, taking back the promise and deciding to rule Beltre out for the WBC.
Zduriencik, in the future, please stick by your word. Beltre, the organization, and the city needs to know we can trust you. Yes, this was just a small incident. Just don?t allow it to become a habit. Grade: D
Photo Source: NBC Sports
Original Story:
http://www.seatownsports.net/2009/03/...
